News from Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters
OHRH President Susan Seal showed Town Supervisor Paul Feiner the proposed Cultural Landscape Plan.
Follow the French Tour
We survived the deluge! May 20th, the day of our wonderful tour of the three places in Westchester County where the French Army camped in 1781, was the only rainy day all month. But, just like the French soldiers who had to bivouac in the rain in 1781, nothing stopped us or history enthusiasts from coming to Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters. We had over 80 stalwarts come to see the pop-up museum, meet General Rochambeau, and learn how to make a paper model of the house created by Pierre Fontaine. Our Board members and volunteers wore 18th century costumes and told the visitors all about life on the farm. Don O’Dell, OHRH board member, brought his brother Carl from South Carolina; they are direct descendants of Colonel John Odell. The Town of Greenburgh Parks Department lent us their big tent to hold the mini-museum and a display about the French encampment. The display included a drawing of the preliminary landscape plans for the property, completed by Susan Jainchill of Aspect 120 in Ardsley. She was there to discuss the details with Westchester County Executive, George Latimer, and Town Supervisor Paul Feiner. Both were excited to learn about the progress we have made toward the creation of the museum, and both are eager to help implement the landscape plan. Westchester County Legislator David Imamura (and his adorable son Leo) enjoyed a long visit with Greenburgh Town Board members Gina Jackson and Ellen Hendrickx.
If you haven’t had time to listen to the audio tour of the French Encampment in 1781, it’s not too late. The audio tour will stay on the Travel Storys app for several years, allowing you to listen to the story of the three sites at your leisure. Here is the link to download the app.
David and Leo Imamura with Generals Rochambeau (Tom Hay) and Washington.
Save the Date for Colonial Day
Our excellent Board is moving ahead with an even bigger Colonial Day this Fall. The event will be held at Hartsbrook Park, just down the road from Odell House on Ridge Road. It will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on September 30, 2023, and will feature all manner of re-enactors.
The highlight this year will be replicas of George Washington’s tents from the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. The MAR will have several staff members, dressed in Revolutionary War uniforms, and allow visitors to go into the tents and imagine Washington living in the main tent when his army was camped in Ardsley in 1781!
More details will follow soon but put the date on your calendar now!
Peaches, Peaches, Peaches!
The peach trees on Board President Susan Seal’s front lawn in Hartsdale are loaded with fruit this year. It reminded us of the peaches grown by the Odells in the 19th century and we wanted to share two things from the Odell family document collection. The first is a recipe for Peach Cordial that sounds so simple! We might just try it if we can learn how many peaches are in a peck! The second is the notice of the sale of an Odell family peach farm in the Finger Lakes area of New York being auctioned off in 1865. There is more information about John S. Odell and some of his brothers farming in upstate New York in the letters we deposited at the Westchester County Historical Society. Any research volunteers ready to read old script and find more stories?
